Constitution Day 2022

JEA’s Scholastic Press Rights Committee hopes to help you and your students celebrate their free speech rights this year. Constitution Day, observed Sept. 17 each year in commemoration of the signing of the United States Constitution, is an excellent time to do it.  We have a quick court cases-review crossword to help you and your…

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What’s old is still new: Hamilton Federalist essay No. 84

Hawaii is the sixteenth state to pass New Voices protection recently. The task to protect all student news media is not new and is unfinished. The signing in Hawaii is a huge success, but there is still a long way to go. Today’s students represent a new generation, but their voices aren’t new – they’re…

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Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School Policy Statement of Policy on Student Media

The Lion’s Tale – Press Rights Protocol I. Introduction/Statement of Policy Freedom of expression and press freedom are fundamental values in a democratic society. As an educational institution committed to preparing engaged and responsible citizens, the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School believes in teaching students these values, both by lesson and by example.  CESJDS…

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Journalism teachers: Start 2022 with a scholastic press rights refresh

The first few weeks of a new semester provide an important reset or blank slate. After a challenging fall for advisers, your goal may be to revisit scholastic press rights topics and do more with law and ethics training, especially if the past few months of reteaching and rebuilding called for massive shifts in your…

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Mahanoy School District v. B.L. decision bolsters democracy’s roots, future

While words shared in anger in off-campus speech by an unhappy student might not seem to have lasting democratic value, they do. Expressing them and other views provides foundation for our marketplace of ideas, and reaffirms protection for unpopular and unpleasant ideas. In Mahanoy School District v. B.L., The U. S. Supreme Court decided 8-1…

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B.L. v. Mahanoy: A New Case in Scholastic Journalism Law

WATCH ORAL ARGUMENTS OF THIS CASE ON C-SPAN APRIL 28, 2021. In what may be the most pivotal case regarding student free expression in more than a decade, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided in B.L. v. Mahanoy Area School District that administrators may not regulate off-campus speech by students if it does not cause disruption of…

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